1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to board games and more specifically to an improved chess game for play by two, three or four persons. The rules of chess as to movement and capturing of pieces, castling, check and checkmate all apply. The players may play as individuals, or they may play as partners, including two playing as partners against a third or four playing as two sets of partners against one another.
Board games have been known for centuries, examples of which include go, backgammon, checkers and chess. These games are played by two players and involve considerable strategy. Chess and checkers are played on a conventional square checkerboard having sixty-four square playing spaces in eight rows of eight squares each. In chess, each of the two players possess an initial force of a king, a queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and eight pawns. The object of chess is to place the opponent's king in checkmate.
2. Description of the Relevant Literature
A number of inventors have designed board games for play by more than two persons. These games all employ a checkered board and can be divided into two broad categories, checker-type games and chess-type games. For the most part, prior art games have accommodated additional players by altering the shape of the conventional sixty-four square checkerboard and/or by adding playing squares. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,555,937 and 2,045,339, French Pat. No. 873,035, and Italian Pat. No. 489,702 all disclose checker-type games for play by up to four players wherein the shape of the board and the number of squares are significantly altered.
Examples of four person chess-type games may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,843,130, 4,147,360 and 4,190,254 as well as British Pat. No. 1,030,519 and French Pat. No. 1,165,694. Whitney (U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,130) alters the size of the conventional chessboard and adds two royalty pieces to each player's set of playing pieces. Also, due to the arrangement of additional playing squares, opposing queens and kings are initially placed in opposite rows, unlike conventional chess. Bailey (U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,360) also increases the number of playing pieces and playing squares. Leeds (U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,254) increases the number of playing squares and curves the paths of movement of the playing pieces. Toft (British Pat. No. 1,030,519) increases the number of playing squares and alters the direction of movement of the pawns. Guerz (French Pat. No. 1,165,694) increases the number of playing squares, however, a problem associated with Guerz, as well as Whitney, is that a player may find that the initial movement of one of the two pawns closest the player by an opponent on either side either blocks the player's initial movement of his lateral pawns or places them, upon movement, behind the opponent's. This removes some opening moves from players following the opening player and places players familiar with conventional chess in unfamiliar situations.
For example, Whitney, places four sets of chess pieces around a conventional chessboard such that pawns may not be moved initially without ending up behind a pawn previously moved by an opponent, altering the strategy of play significantly. Features of several other prior art devices also inherently change the strategy of play. For example, Leeds places the pieces on curved paths, which impair the visualization of future movement of the pieces by persons familiar with standard chess play; Bailey also adds additional pieces, changing the strategy of play; and Toft alters the movement of pawns to avoid the problems of pawn movement associated with Whitney.
Since prior art four-person chess games significantly alter the strategy of play, it would be desirable to provide a four-person chess game such that conventional chess strategy is substantially retained.